30-Something Nudists
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: After the 2002 party, one decision leads Rory and Marty's paths to go differently in ways they could never have imagined. A Nudist, Rory/Marty pairing. "Rory beheld the stranger for the first time. She froze, her face going deathly pale. "Marty," she whispered the name. "What are you doing here?" Winnie looked between the adults and the clear tension between them, bewildered." Enjo
1. Chapter 1: Just Look

**Chapter 1: Just Look**

It was after the 2002 party during Rory's senior year at Yale. The rest of the attendees had cleared out, leaving her and Marty Harrison alone to clean up the mess of red solo cups, beer bottles and streamers littering the floor.

As she tried to stack the solo cups on a cleared table in an organized fashion, to be discarded later, Rory found herself thinking back to the party, during which she and Marty had sat on the common area couch and talked - really _talked_ \- for the first time since their friendship had become estranged. He had called her beautiful - "Beautiful as ever," had been the exact phrasing... and he had seemed to mean it. At that time, it had made her uncomfortable, and she had mumbled something about Lucy. After all, Lucy was his girlfriend, and Rory herself still had lingering feelings for Logan, despite the fact that they were broken up.

As she stole a glance at him from across the room, stooping over to sweep in one corner, Rory wondered if she had the full story. He had only reluctantly moved on to find Lucy when she had awkwardly suggested it, and even then, there had been no natural affection between them.

She decided to face the issue head-on. In her mind, it was the only way to salvage what friendship they might still have between them. "Marty?" she called softly.

"Hmm?" He turned back as he gave one more sweep of the broom. Vaulting over the couch, he plopped down into it, giving her his undivided attention. "What's up?"

Taking a deep breath, Rory drifted closer. "Will you ever not be in love with me?" It was a question she had asked herself, many times, but had never voiced the thought aloud. She had broken his heart their sophomore year when he had confessed his love, she knew that. But would he ever be free of her?

Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was still a little drunk, for Rory suddenly began to shrug off her coat. Her camisole top followed, then out of her pants she shimmied. Registering that the girl he still wanted was undressing before him, Marty watched, transfixed.

At last, Rory was in nothing but her undergarments, yet she didn't stop there. She slid her panties down her long, creamy thighs, kicking them off her ankles, then reached back to unclasp her bra. The forbidden fruit of her breasts hung free, and she observed Marty eyeing them hungrily, his mouth dropped open in disbelief.

"Do you want me to...?" It came out strangled, and Marty seemed at a loss for how to respond.

Blushing, Rory shook her head. "No. Just look." She had never revealed herself completely to anyone before. Not like this. In the case of both Dean and Logan, she had undressed herself hurriedly with their help for the sole purpose of getting her on her back fast. She had never savored the act of undressing, nor stood and allowed anyone to appreciate the beauty she was born with.

Feeling rather bold, almost... sexy, Rory floated closer to Marty until she was towering over him. Her bare breasts hung lower. Gasping, Marty reached out, his hand floating near her ribcage, almost touching the wonderful curves, but not quite. It was admirable, how he was restraining himself.

Quietly, Rory sank onto his lap and straddled him. Deft fingers reached out and unzipped the zipper of his jeans. Parting the fly, her hand brushed a hard, stiff bulge and she sucked in a breath. He was straining, aching for her. Feeling brave thanks to the drink, Rory plunged her hand into his underwear and clasped the length in her fist. Marty's cry was silenced by Rory's lips slamming against his in a heated kiss. She closed her eyes.

He tasted nice, his lips soft like butter. As she parted his lips and wriggled her tongue in between the space to deepen the kiss, Rory freed Marty's member from its elastic prison and guided it to her slick, throbbing folds. Odd. When had she become so wet? Casting the thought from her mind, she sank onto him, impaling herself so that he slid deep into her core.

Marty had finally gotten his wits about himself enough to kiss her back, his arms encircling her frame and his digits running up and down her spine.

"Mmmm... Hmmmm..." Rory groaned deeply in pleasure as she began to roll her hips. Rock against him. Up and down... up and down... Marty began to thrust independently in perfect time, as his seductress began to bounce up and down on his lap. Rory's bare buttocks landing on his thighs made a deliciously delightful SMACK of a sound.

"Urrrr... Uhhhhh... Guhhhh! Ohhhhhh! God!" Rory cried, moaning incessantly into Marty's plundering lips. He was quivering violently against her and she embraced him, hoping that her arms might calm him. But at last, he seized, and in a brief instant where their lips were free, he cried, "Rory!" and ejaculated into her.

Close herself, Rory began furiously humping against him. Marty's face was buried between her breasts, his tongue twining around her perk nipples. He sucked on one, prompting her to let out a sigh and come apart around him.

When they both came down from their high, Rory kissed Marty's lips once, very gently and rose gracefully off of him. She dressed sultrily, knowing he was watching her every move. At least he would have something to remember her by. Turning by the door, she regarded him sadly.

"Goodbye, Marty." He took that as his cue to leave. After he was gone, Rory forgo the rest of the cleaning up and trudged sadly to bed.


	2. Chapter 2: Twelve Years Later

**Chapter 2: Twelve Years Later**

"Order up!" Caesar's call came through the order window as a plate of hamburgers and fries appeared.

"I've got it, Caesar!" the young girl chirped as she took the plate and read the table number on the tab. Kirk's usual, by the window. She skipped over to him and delivered his meal, trying not to giggle at his quirkiness. That was just Kirk's way, her mother always said. The same could be said about the whole of her hometown of Stars Hollow. The sleepy little town just had its way, and they liked it like that, thank you very much.

"Winnifred Lorelai Gilmore! Aren't you supposed to be working the cash register?" a gruff voice reminded her, its owner emerging from the upstairs loft in a backwards baseball cap.

"Sorry, Grandpa Luke! No one was on the ball for Kirk's order!" Winnifred scampered over to him.

Luke allowed himself to smile down at her. "Kirk can sit and cry for a minute until someone gets to him. A little emotion never did him any harm. There's a good girl, Winnie." He ruffled her dark curls and moved on to take over the next order delivery. A customer called out as he passed by:

"Hey, what's the Wifi password here?"

"No Collusion - All caps!" Luke answered back. He meant for this to be in jest. The triggered millennial paid for his food and walked out.

Winnie returned to her post at the cash register. Most girls her age didn't have a job at only 11, but she loved the bustle of the diner - had loved it since she was a baby. And for all his gruff exterior, she had her Grandpa Luke in the palm of her hand. He'd been married to her Grandma since just before she was born, but loved her unconditionally. Her other grandfather, Chris Hayden, lived in Boston. She didn't see him much except when her mother might be passing through up there on business, but he always showed her a great time.

Winnie loved her family fondly. She even had a great-grandma in Hartford - her Pop-Pop had passed away when she was eight. But it made her think - what was her father's side of the family like? Who was her father? Whenever she had asked her mom about this, Rory had always said that her father was a friend she had met in college, and as for his family, not to let that worry her. She herself had not known her dad's side of the family, only meeting her paternal grandparents twice by the time she was 16.

The bell tinkling over the door wrested Winnie from her thoughts, as a dark-haired man took a seat at the window just behind the yellow LUKE's lettering.

"Hey guys - there's a new customer over this way!" Winnie pointed. When no one answered, she shrugged, "I got it!" and left her post at the cash register. Business was slow on Sunday mornings, with most Stars Hollow residents either at church with Reverend Skinner or in synagogue with Rabbi Barans. Whipping out a pencil and pad, Winnie approached the new arrival. "Welcome to Luke's Diner. What'll it be?"

The gentleman raised his head from where he had been writing in a notebook, and Winnie was suddenly struck by the shade of his eyes. _His eyes... they're kind of like mine_, she thought.

"BLT burger with a side of onion rings, please," the gentleman said, smiling at her kindly. Winnie grinned back.

"Coming right up!" she stuck the tab in the order window for Caesar, then drifted back to the window table, observing as the gentleman resumed his writing. "Whatcha working on?"

"My next book of poems," he explained.

"Oh! My mom's a writer. But she writes columns for the papers, and books on the side. Her latest memoir's on the bestseller list." Winnie liked bragging about her mom's accomplishments.

"Really? What's her name? I might know her," the man smiled. Before Winnie could answer, however, his gaze faltered into something almost curious, as he peered at her. "You know..." he mused. "It's funny... you kind of look like my Uncle Jerry..."

Winnie's face crinkled in confused amusement, but before she could think of a reply, the bell tinkled over the door.

"Hey, sweets!" Rory Gilmore dashed in, pressing a kiss to Winnie's cheek in greeting. "Sorry I'm late; Uncle Jess switched out all the candy in Taylor's dispensers for April Fool's."

"Again?" Winnie laughed. The gentleman stared.

"Rory Gilmore?!"

Rory beheld the stranger for the first time. She froze, her face going deathly pale. "Marty," she whispered the name. "What are you doing here?"

"Just passing through," Marty beamed. He looked happy to see her. Winnie looked between the adults and the clear tension between them, bewildered.

"You two know each other?"

"We met in college," Rory said, her gaze not leaving Marty's face. Marty grinned wider.

"It's good to see you again, Rory."

Something shifted in Rory's expression, and she now looked almost cold. "At least you finally decided to show up. Enjoy getting to know your daughter!" She spat it out in a burst of emotion, then fled from the diner. Behind the now silent eatery, Luke Danes held a coffee cup aloft, his mouth hung open. Winnie and Marty looked at each other in astonishment.

_That's my daughter?_

_That's my dad?_

* * *

Rory stalked down the sunny sidewalk towards the _Stars Hollow Gazette_, blinking back tears. She had kept the secret, what she had suspected all along, for so much time, she had not meant for it to come blasting out like that. She didn't even know why she was angry. It wasn't like Marty knew. It wasn't like she had told him.

She had found out she was pregnant days before her Yale graduation. She had not seen Marty again since that night they had made love. Trying to look for him and tell him during those furious last days on campus had been for naught. She only told her two closest friends her secret, waiting in line to walk across the stage. Naturally, Winnie's future Aunt Paris and Uncle Doyle had only been too eager to help.

And then there had been Logan's out-of-the-blue proposal. Rory knew deep in her heart the child she carried wasn't his; they hadn't had sex in months. And did she really want her child to be born with a stepfather, perhaps with Logan being the only father he or she would ever know? Logan was no Luke, or even Christopher, and in Rory's mind, to accept the offer of marriage made her seem... unfaithful, somehow.

She moved up to New York, moved in with Doyle and Paris and rode out her pregnancy in their two-bedroom apartment. The beautiful baby girl had been born late, on a blustery night in January 2008, as Rory's TV displayed a black man and a woman battling for the presidency. Halfway through her first year of med school, Paris had gamely delivered the baby, though an in-home birth had not been what Rory had in mind. Her labor had come fast and hard, and traffic in New York was unforgiving. From what Rory recalled, Doyle had taken one look at Winnie and fainted. Mother and baby moved back to Stars Hollow six months later.

"Rory... RORY!" The call of her name snapped Rory from her thoughts as she reached the door of the _Stars Hollow Gazette_, for which she was Chief Editor. She also did stints at the Stamford Gazette and the Hartford Courant, writing books by night and on the side. Her memoir, _Gilmore Girls_, had sailed to the top of the charts.

And there was Marty, slowing out of his run and looking out of breath. "Man, you're really fit..." He blushed when she frowned at him. "You really gonna leave me hanging there like that? Rory, why didn't you tell me?"

"What? That we have a child together? How was I supposed to have that conversation? When I looked for you before and at Graduation, you were gone!"

"I couldn't... stay for the ceremony," Marty was slowly getting his breath back, wincing through the explanation. "But you could have at least... looked me up. Letter, Facebook PM, phone call. Something!"

"You had your own life, Marty," she regarded him sadly. "Your own career. A child would have been such a distraction."

"Never! How can you even say that?" and for the first time, Marty looked offended. "You think I would not honor a commitment like that, especially when Winnie has you as her mother?" He was looking at her really intensely, and Rory was not sure what it meant. She jerked, startled, when Marty suddenly took her hand. "Rory... I just want to talk. I want to provide for Winnie and for you."

"I don't need your help," Rory murmured quietly. "I've been doing fine on my own. My mother did it. So can I."

"Juggling three paper jobs? As amazing as you are, Rory, I doubt it." Marty winced even as he said it, hoping he hadn't insulted her. "Can we at least discuss this as adults? Maybe over dinner?"

Rory regarded him for a moment curiously. She had always been less than trusting about others' good intentions for her daughter, except for a select few: Paris, Doyle, Jess, April. Luke. Her parents. Her grandmother. Grandpa Richard, when he was alive.

"Secret Bar. 17 Plum Street. 7:00 tonight. I'll meet you there," she accepted shortly, still not sure if the decision she had just impulsively made was the right one. Then she turned on her heel and flounced into the _Gazette_.


	3. Chapter 3: Reignite

**Chapter 3: Reignite**

Rory tried to sit calmly at her vanity while her daughter brushed her hair. She didn't know why she was making herself up so pretty - after all, this wasn't a date. Did Marty think it was a date? Rory had never gone on many dates; her peer options in the 30-Something Gang held little in the way of sex appeal. That wasn't to say that she hadn't gone on dates; she had gone out with some guys in Hartford casually. Gone back to their place a time or two for a one-night stand. Never anything serious. And Rory had never, ever invited a man back to her place. Her rules with Winnie were the same as Lorelai had made for her: no boys in the house.

All that afternoon and into the evening, Winnie had been surprisingly quiet. She had only asked a few questions about her father: how did they meet? When did they fall in love? On the first question, Rory had related, red-faced, how she had come upon Marty Harrison naked in her hallway, which Winnie interpreted as "so romantic." Awkward, was the word Rory would use. On the second question, the one about falling in love, Rory had nearly choked. She spun some yarn about how she and Marty had tried dating, but it had never worked out. It was kind of true, kind of not - but only if you equated one night of wild sex with the term "dating."

"Now, you are sure you'll be fine here with Grandma and Grandpa Luke?"

"Mom, they'll be watching The Departed all night; I'll probably stay in my room and chat with Auntie April on FaceTime!"

Rory gave her a firm look. "Be sure to text and check with her first. You know your aunt is really stressed finishing her Master's in Germany." But, she was pretty sure that her stepsister would appreciate the distraction. April doted on Winnie. Rory checked herself in the mirror one last time, then turned to her daughter. "How do I look?"

"Really pretty. Daddy's gonna flip!"

The term struck Rory right between the eyes: _Daddy_. Well, that didn't take long. She shook her head to clear it as Winnie was leaving the room. "Hey." Winnie turned back. Rory smiled. "No regrets: from me _or_ your dad."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah, no regrets about _you_. I'm sure there is a disastrous double date that he'd like to expunge from his record, but you - that's a no brainer."

Winnie frowned. "When did you and dad have a disastrous double date?" she asked, not even aware that her mother and father hadn't even been a paired couple that night.

"Ah, ah, ah - another story for another time," Rory smiled tightly, trying not to blush beet red. "Possibly before your first date at Al's Pancake World. Goodnight, babe! Don't keep Auntie April too long!" Mother and daughter kissed cheeks, and Rory left.

* * *

Rory and Marty arrived at the Secret Bar pretty much at the exact time. Mother and father to Winnifred eyed each other awkwardly.

"Hi," Marty grinned nervously.

"Hi," Rory murmured warily. She gestured lamely at the Bar. "This is kind of our... resident speak-easy."

"Stars Hollow never kicked Prohibition, huh? I like the open-air space!" Marty laughed, starting to become more comfortable.

_You'll understand why in a minute_, Rory thought, as Kirk led them over to a table. Hep Alien was playing a gig that night, and from the stage, Lane saw Rory and her date approach. The guitarist looked them both up and down approvingly, smiling encouragingly at Rory with a raised eyebrow. Rory just pursed her lips and shook her head tightly. _Tell you later. _

Rory and Marty took their seats, placing double orders for red wine and some salads, as they regarded each other by candlelight. The drinks had arrived before either one of them spoke.

"Why didn't you tell me, Rory?" Marty finally broke the silence. "The real answer, this time." His directness startled Rory, and she found herself looking at her lap meekly.

"I knew the minute you learned, you'd come running and be ready to honor that commitment."

Marty's brow crinkled. "And that's a bad thing? Did that scare you?"

Rory gulped. "Yes," she whispered.

"Why?"

_Because I was afraid to see you again. Or of what might happen or what I might do if I did_, Rory thought. But she didn't dare voice that thought aloud, blushing furiously instead. She would never admit it to anyone, but her night with Marty was still the best sex of her life. The loaded pause was broken by Lane's sudden call of "5-0!"

With lightning speed, the patrons cleared away all the tables and chairs. Marty followed along with confusion, Rory grabbing his free hand as she dragged him into a dark corner of the empty lot.

Moments later, Taylor Dosse's portly form appeared under the streetlight as he peered into what was supposedly an empty alley. In the shadows, Rory noticed that she and Marty were standing unusually close. Her hands had somehow found their way to his chest, as she leaned up against him so that they were both hidden, pressed into the brick wall. Marty's own hands, meanwhile, had made their way naturally to her hips, to help keep her upright.

It was an awkward position, for more reasons than one.

"Clear!" Lane hissed out into the space as Taylor finally moved on. Just as quickly as they had been hidden, the chairs and tables were back, Rory and Marty quickly taking their places. They hardly had time to dwell on the compromising position they had briefly found themselves in.

"You OK there?" Rory couldn't help but laugh at Marty's expression.

"That was... interesting," he confessed. "Would he seriously arrest us?"

"Oh, no, Taylor's harmless," Rory waved away. "Although my stepfather calls him a pompous windbag."

The run-in with Taylor seemed to relax Marty and Rory's conversation just enough, so that when the topic of Winnie came up again, there was not nearly as much tension. Not even when Marty asked, "Will I be allowed to see Winnie?"

Rory blinked. "Of course you can. I would never keep her from you. My mom always left the door open for my dad to see me."

"Would we have to go to court? Hash out visitation rights?"

Rory giggled and shook her head. "Marty, you're her father. It's not like we're divorcing." The thought made her ache, even as the hypothetical thought of her and Marty married in the first place sent an oddly pleasing rush through her body. "I marked your name as her Father on Winnie's birth certificate." Not even her mom and Luke knew that. For the longest time since Rory told them she was pregnant, they had assumed the baby was Logan's. It was only after Winnie was born - and seeing that she looked nothing like Logan - did Lorelai and Luke give up that notion, both of them happily. Luke had never liked Logan, and Lorelai only marginally better.

Kirk arrived with the bill, and Marty paid, over Rory's protestations. "It's not often I get to treat a beautiful lady." Rory felt her face grow very red, a smile gracing her face.

They shut down the Secret Bar, and walked back along the quiet streets of Stars Hollow, punctured only by the street lights and the cicadas. As Rory and Marty passed by the closed front of Luke's Diner, one writer turned to face the other.

"Rory. You know I will always love and be so grateful for Winnie. But when you learned you were having Winnie, and that she was mine, why didn't you get an abortion, or put her up for adoption? You seemed to make it pretty clear that night that you slept with me that you didn't... have feelings for me. That it was pity."

Rory bit her lip in thought. "I thought that by... being with you, I could help you be free of your... feelings for me. As to your question... I went through with the pregnancy because... because I felt honored to be carrying your child. To know that our baby's father was a nice, wonderful guy." _The kind of guy I should have dated at Yale. The guy that got away. _

For a moment, there was silence. Then, suddenly...

Rory was being pushed up against the glassy window. Her head was titled back, cradled in warm hands before Marty's lips crashed down on hers in a fiery kiss. To her gradually diminishing surprise, Rory didn't push him away. Instead, she pulled him closer with a pleased, satisfied groan. Closing her eyes, and draping her arms lazily about his neck, Rory kissed him back.

Mouths quickly opened to tongues. Hands wandered dangerously lower. When Rory felt Marty's fingers heavily caress her bum through her dress, she audaciously raised her leg to his waist, hooking her thigh around his torso.

"Up... Mmmmm... Upstairs," Rory gasped between frantic kisses. "Key's... Oooooh..." she sighed as Marty trailed kisses along her face. "under the mat."

Marty lifted Rory off her feet, so that she folded her legs around his waist. Still kissing madly, Marty stooped and managed to dig the key out from under the mat. Unlocking the diner, the couple stumbled back into the eatery. Rory gave just enough guidance so Marty could find the stairs to the loft; she was too busy kissing his face. They staggered up the steps and into the vacated apartment of Luke Danes, upholstered with only the most basic amenities.

Marty threw Rory down onto the bed and clambered on top of her. The pair were still making out, Rory groaning incessantly. "Mmmm... Hmmm..." She furiously rocked her pelvis into Marty's groin, clearly communicating her hunger and need for sex. It had been so long since she had had really good sex...

Rory and Marty's hands tore at each other's clothes. Marty helped Rory shimmy out of her yellow sundress, and she spread her legs wide for him eagerly.

A belt clanged as Marty dropped his pants. Rory's underwear was thrown down past her hips and pooled at her ankles. Marty's magical mouth was now suckling Rory's neck, and she keened into him.

"Uhhh... Marty..." she crooned from underneath hooded lids. "Please..."

He showed mercy, obeying her wish as he plunged his manhood into the warm petals of her sex. Rory cried out happily, and though it had been years since they had last made love, she recognized the feeling of him almost carnally. The bed creaked as Rory and Marty rocked and slammed against each other frantically, their sweaty bodies slapping.

"Hmmm! Mmmm! Uhhh! Uhhh! Fuck! Jesus Christ!" Rory let a stream of sounds and curses fall from her swollen, very kissed lips. Their hips wriggled and rammed against each other faster and faster.

"Rory..." Marty huffed. "I love you... I... never stopped..."

She gasped, tears pricking at her eyes. And since it had been so long that she had sex with love involved, she let out another plaintive cry of his name. "MARTY!" And she exploded, squeezing her legs tight about him, her heels digging into his buttocks as she rocked against him, surfed her way through her orgasm.

"Ohhhh... Rory... Rory... I'm gonna..." He made some kind of strangled sound and seized up, pulsing his seed deep inside her as he came. His head drooped down into the valley of her breasts, and Rory felt his lips tenderly kiss each one.

"I love that you're... the mother of our baby. You must have looked so gorgeous carrying our baby..." Rory felt her face grow hot, smiling shyly at his sweetness. Marty finally emerged his face from her breasts, gazing down at her.

"I love you," he murmured quietly, staring at her helplessly.

She gazed back, her brown hair fanning her face like a pillow as she reached up to caress his face. "I know." The words were pulled from her effortlessly.

"Will you marry me?"

Marty's popping the question caught her completely off-guard, so that Rory's mouth unhinged into a perfect 'O'. When she didn't answer right away, Marty glanced away, appearing embarrassed and maybe a little crestfallen. Cupping his cheek, Rory turned his face back so she could cover his lips in a sweet kiss.

"Not yet. Let's have a couple dates first. And then... ask me again sometime." Behind her gentle eyes, there was a promise. The promise that when he did propose to her again, she just might say Yes.

Marty's eyes went wide in astonishment, and then he beamed. He kissed Rory's lips once, then again, the pecks becoming more brief and desperate as the couple fell asleep in each other's arms.


	4. Chapter 4: Mrs Gilmore-Harrison

**Chapter 4: Mrs. Gilmore-Harrison**

Marty found a place to rent in Stars Hollow, and made sure to be in town every other weekend when he wasn't traveling for his books. He and Rory would happily go on date nights, occasionally concluding with hot sex in the loft above Luke's Diner. It was during one of these lovemaking sessions that Rory helplessly confessed. "I love you. More than I've ever loved anyone. It was you; I was just too blind to see it. It's always been you."

Rather scandalously, Luke found his stepdaughter wrapped in the arms of her lover one morning as he came to open the Diner. Her mortified face flaming red, Rory had introduced Marty as Winnie's father. Luke had then taken them each aside individually, telling Marty to treat his stepdaughter and grandbaby right, or there would be consequences. When he and Rory spoke privately, Luke was shocked to learn of Rory's plans to marry, when Marty got up the courage to ask her again.

"Again? He's proposed to you before?"

Her cheeks rouging, Rory tellingly refused to elaborate.

"Rory..." Luke eyed her seriously. "Don't do this because you think you need a complete home for Winnie. It's not like what you're grandmother says: 'A child needs a mother and a father'" he threw his voice high in a pretty good imitation of Emily.

Rory's eyes flashed in offense. "It's not like that! By that logic, my parents would still be together, and you'd be married to Anna Nardini!"

Luke took in her response curiously. Then he smiled. "Well, OK, princess. If you're sure... I will support you one hundred percent." Stepfather and stepdaughter smiled and embraced.

During the days, Marty spent every waking moment of his free time being with Winnie. Father and daughter warmed up to each other quickly, and Winnie loved hearing stories about her parents' time at Yale.

Finally, close to a year later, at Winnie's 12th birthday party, Marty got down on one knee and popped the question. Rory happily accepted, with Lorelai and Winnie squealing over her saying Yes.

The wedding was thrown together quickly over the course of that winter and spring, with Rory and Marty opting for a summer, June wedding. The nuptials were held on the solstice, with Reverend Skinner and Rabbi Barans jointly officiating, Winnie as the Flower Girl, and Luke giving Rory away. The holy men blessed them, after which Rory and Marty exchanged rings and vows.

"I love you. I'm sorry I made you wait so long, and I know it is really simple compared to your wonderful, sweet words, but I love you." As the sun finally set, Rory beamed as she said with conviction, "I love my husband. I love the father of my baby."

Two minutes later, Rory and Marty were pronounced husband and wife, and with deep smiles, the couple happily embraced and kissed. The whole of Stars Hollow clapped and cheered, and the newlyweds partied with their daughter Winnie long into the night.

* * *

It was a hot July day, just over a year into their marriage, when Rory sensed her water break.

Marty drove his wife calmly over to the hospital, from the former Twickham House which the Gilmore-Harrisons had bought. Rory had felt no qualms about taking her husband's name, but in the interest of also maintaining her independence, she found the need to hyphenate it. To Marty's happy surprise, Winnie had asked her parents if she could also change her name, so that her legal name became Winnifred Lorelai Gilmore-Harrison.

23 hours of labor later, in the presence of Lorelai, Luke, April, Jess, Winnie, and Marty, Rory gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. She named him Richard Martin Gilmore-Harrison, in memory of the baby's great-grandfather and in honor of his father. Fawning over him, Marty and Rory tenderly kissed.

Rory had not set out for this to be her path. But now that she had it, she couldn't have imagined her life ending up any way else. The mother of two gorgeous children, and the wife of a man who had always loved her. Happily Ever After.


End file.
